GoKawiilis a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
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Apple and Google are updating their smart home streaming devices to Thread 1.4. As first spotted by Matter Alpha and 9to5 Google, the latest spec has arrived on compatible Apple TVs in the tvOS 27 developer beta and the Google TV Streamer through a software update.
This lays the groundwork for these devices, which serve as Thread Border Routers, to implement Thread credential sharing, enabling them to connect more easily to an existing Thread network rather than creating their own.
Thread is one of the connectivity protocols the interoperability standard Matter runs on. The original plan was for Thread Border Routers to all work seamlessly behind the scenes, but that didn’t pan out.
In 2024, the Thread 1.4 spec introduced a standardized way for border routers to share credentials. Two years later, with 1.4 on board, the streamers should offer a more straightforward way for users, manufacturers, and ecosystems to share the credentials so they join your existing Thread network. Think of it like sharing a Wi-Fi password.
The Google TV Streamer now gives me the option to share my Thread network credentials, but it hasn’t worked for me so far. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
However, it looks like I’ll still have to wait for a unified Thread network. While the Google TV Streamer now offers the option to generate a QR code to join a Thread network, it didn’t work for me. And although DNS discovery tools show my Apple TV is on Thread 1.4, there aren’t yet any options to share credentials in the current iOS and tvOS 27 dev betas. It’s worth noting that 1.4 appeared in a tvOS 26 beta, but got pulled before the final release.
Since there’s still no dev beta for HomePod Software 27, the smart speakers aren’t joining the party yet, either, and Google’s Nest Hubs still haven’t got a 1.4 update. My guess is the Google Home Speaker will land later this month with Thread 1.4.
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